i Register
In some senses, civilian is marked as informal, slang. Watch for register when choosing this word.
civilian
/sɪˈvɪl.jən/
noun 5adj 1
Collocations
1(noun.)
ADJ
innocent, unarmed
The bombing destroyed the town, killing many unarmed civilians who had no connection to the conflict.
Definitions
noun
1
A person following the pursuits of civil life, especially one who is not an active member of the armed forces.
An army never can be commanded or controlled by civilians.
Three civilians were apprehended by the soldiers and taken away in a military vehicle.
2
A person who does not belong to a particular group or engage in a particular activity, an outsider.
I have this vision one day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian.
The bathroom was for employees only, so civilians weren't allowed to use it.
3
One skilled in civil law.
Ancient civilians and writers upon government.
4
A student of civil law at a university or college.
although he kept his name in the college books, and changed his commoner gown to that of a civilian, yet he had now, I believe, no thoughts of proceeding to any degree; and seldom resided in college any more
5
A person not affiliated with a gang.
adj
1
Not related to the military, police or other governmental professions.
The three detainees were actually army defectors wearing civilian clothing.
He worked as a civilian journalist for ten years before being employed by the public broadcaster.
Thesaurus
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
An army never can be commanded or controlled by civilians.
Wiktionary02
Three civilians were apprehended by the soldiers and taken away in a military vehicle.
Wiktionary03
I have this vision one day that I'll walk amongst you a regular civilian.
Wiktionary04
The three detainees were actually army defectors wearing civilian clothing.
Wiktionary05
He worked as a civilian journalist for ten years before being employed by the public broadcaster.
Wiktionary06
The war has taken a terrible toll on the civilian population.
Tatoeba · #1881729Usage Notes
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